Welcome to Kickstart Monday! This is our weekly series featuring 2 or more crowdfunding projects that have caught our eye. We scour over platforms like Kickstarter, Gamefound, and Indigogo to find projects that interest us.

There are certainly some exciting projects out in crowdfunding land. Let’s take a look at a couple of games that we think you should check out.

Tiny Epic Cthulhu

First up this week we are looking at Tiny Epic Cthulhu on Kickstarter from Gamelyn Games. 

Tiny Epic Cthulhu is the latest entry in the Tiny Epic series of games and is designed by Scott Almes. The game pits 1 to 4 players against the Great Old Ones who seek to open portals to bring their evil into the world. The players are working together cooperatively racing against the clock to decipher the mysterious Necronomicon to hopefully close the portals before the Great Old Ones grow too powerful.

The game takes place in the town of new Arkamoore where the influence of the Great Old Ones and their madness are slowly building. Each player is in control of a unique hero with a special gameplay ability. Players will take turns moving to different locations in the town contending with hideous shamblers, encroaching madness and one of the Great Old Ones themselves who’s power is steadily growing. Players must also manage their own personal fear, rage and greed to avoid going mad while attempting to collect the pages of the Necronomicon. Once they collect all the missing pages they must seal the six eldritch portals for their only chance to win the game. If any player goes mad or the Great Old One gains it’s full strength all is lost.

Like the other games in the Tiny Epic series Tiny Epic Cthulhu looks to pack a lot of game into a small box at a reasonable price point. The game is available as a base version for $25 USD and a Deluxe version for $30 USD which includes the Astral Artifacts mini-expansion. For another $10, backers can add on the Cult of Chaos expansion  which features new heroes, great old ones and a new gameplay where cultists work against the players and assist the great old ones. If you feel you are sane enough to take on terrifying eldritch foes alone or with a group of friends head to the campaign page for Tiny Epic Cthulhu before December 22, 2023.

Party Panda Pirates

Our next game this week is Party Panda Pirates on Kickstarter from Detestable Games.

Party Panda Pirates is a light-hearted, family party game for 2 to 6 players and is inspired by the Mario Party series of video games.  Players step into the shoes of a panda pirate captain and compete in a series of mini-games that look to be a mixture of luck, skill and dexterity. Each round starts with players sliding a panda meeple through the tube of the panda’s 3d turtle pirate ship to try to land in the center of an island to earn a coin. The island with the most pandas will trigger a mini-game and the players will make predictions who will either be first or last in the mini-game. Then the party begins!

All players participate in one of the games many mini-games that could involve things  stacking dice until one player topples the tower, flicking tiles into the game box lid, or piling objects precariously onto the turtle ship. The game is planned to feature 18+ different mini-games with more potentially unlocked with stretch goals. After the mini-game players move on a treasure map track to attempt to gain treasure chests that count toward winning the game. Making a correct prediction about the winner or loser of the game or placing well in the mini-game will earn you bonus coins that can be used to purchase additional treasure chests. The winner of the game is the player who has the most treasure chests after six rounds!

Party Panda Pirates definitely looks like it could be good family fun. Mario Party has always been a hit at my house and I appreciate the attempt to bring some of those ideas to a board game form. The retail version of the game is available for $29 USD and a deluxe version featuring 3d panda pirate miniatures and upgraded components can be had for $59 USD. If this all sounds like a party to you head on over to the Party Panda Pirates Kickstarter page by December 22, 2023, to make your pledge.

Did we miss your favorite project?

Thank you for checking out this week’s Kickstart Monday! If you find these interesting or want some attention on a Kickstarter or other crowdfunded projects that you would like to read more about please share your thoughts with us via our social media or email.

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